An electric vehicle uses an electric motor for propulsion. Energy required to power the propulsion motor is stored in a battery system located within the vehicle. Heavy-duty electric vehicles (such as, e.g., electric buses, electric trucks, etc.) may store a large amount of energy in its battery system. It some situations, it is desirable to selectively dissipate the energy stored in the battery system to the ambient to lower its stored energy. Embodiments of the current disclosure address these situations. The scope of the current disclosure, however, is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability to solve any specific problem.